Talks Like Thunder

Red With Native Blood, Book 1

By: Randal Nerhus, Marjorie Carter

Narrated by: Aubriana Harshfield

“Talks Like Thunder will tear at your heart and take your soul on an emotional mission.” (Dennis Banks, author of Ojibwa Warrior and cofounder of the American Indian Movement (AIM))

“A terrific read!” (Bill Thompson, editor of Stephen King’s Carrie and John Grisham’s A Time to Kill)

She’s not sacrificing anything without a fight. As a survivor enters an uncertain landscape, can she protect the ones she cherishes?

Arizona Territory, 1871. Seven-year-old Talks Like Thunder can’t imagine life outside of her Apache family. So after both her parents succumb to deadly disease, her heart is ripped in two when her estranged grandfather takes her to his Chiricahua village. And as she blossoms into a young woman, her extraordinary insights into ancient mystical beliefs transform her into a fierce warrior.

Preparing to defend their sacred land from invading White men, the driven protector falls for a fellow fighter and his words of a brighter future. But when their tribe is captured by US soldiers, Thunder’s years in captivity fuel her to return to those she loves and take revenge on those who stole her innocence.

Meticulously completed posthumously, author Randal Nerhus has lovingly curated Marjorie Carter’s remarkable fictional account of one woman’s journey of compassion, loyalty, and respect for the earth. Through three interconnected tales, Talks Like Thunder’s struggle to retain the dignity and freedom integral to her centuries-old culture serves as a reminder of the spiritual strength revealed in Indigenous American history.

If you like authentic historical backdrops, empowered female protagonists, and triumphs of the human spirit, then you’ll love Randal Nerhus and Marjorie Carter’s awe-inspiring odyssey.

Buy Talks Like Thunder to dive into a powerful past today!

©2022 Randal Nerhus (P)2022 Randal Nerhus

One of the best books I have listened to.

Talks Like Thunder is the first Novella in the Red With Native Blood series. This is a wonderfully written story of Dessert Flower and her journey to become Talks like Thunder. The first word that comes to mind is Beautiful, even though there is a lot of sadness in this story that will bring tears to your eyes in many parts, it is sadly the realistic truth of the of what happened to the native people. Being native myself I felt this book was written so well and truthful in so many ways, with great detail to the ways of the people, and all things that are important to us. I highly recommend this book. I can't wait for the next. The narrator Aubriana Harshfield did an amazing job.

Loved it

This is one of the best books I've listened to in a long time!!! I recommend it to everyone!

Amazing

Loved this book. Very detailed, and articulate very well. This author knows how to grab you by your emotions and doesn’t let go until the appropriate time. Strong story line and strong characters. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the rest of this series.

great audio

This is my first audiobook by this author which I look forward to seeing what is next for this author. I enjoyed how the narrator used different tones to make the story engaging. They had me coming back for more, just to see what would happen next. It is a story about a woman who takes you on a journey of compassion, respect and loyalty. There is an entertaining value to this story that makes it easy to listen to. This is one of my favorite audiobooks. I highly recommend this audio book

Fascinating tale

This is an amazing novella of Desert Flower’s journey. This really is a story that grabs your attention. I was intrigued at how she started off her life and how strong she became. She is a true warrior spirit. The writing is so flowing and relatable that you must continue listening while you work. All of the characters are well-written from Grey Fox to those in the tribe. They all grew to mesh well, as a family should. This is about a young, indigenous girl that becomes a strong young woman. She overcomes a lot and finds her family. It’s a definite must listen to story. I do wish the narrator could have given a little more energy to her voice. It was a tad dry and I fell asleep a few times. I enjoyed the story, not the narrator, so much

Touching story

It’s a story we’ve all heard before, but hearing it from this young woman‘s point of view was especially touching. I liked seeing how she grew to love and respect her new grandfather. Her courage and tenacity throughout her tribulations was endearing. This is an upsetting part of history that needs to be shared and cannot be forgotten.

Raw and Emotional

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was intrigued by the cover and description of this audiobook and decided to dive in… and my goodness …. this story was raw and emotional….and I was rooting for Talks Like Thunder all the way. This is the first book in the series and I will definitely be checking out the rest of the books and I am intrigued where the story goes from here.

Talks Like Thunder loses her parents at an early age and she is taken by her grandfather so he may protect her. She learns quickly how to be a warrior… but constantly thrown in different paths but tries to find a way to fight and protect her people.

This story was so good, drama and heartbreaking moments… but I love Talks Like Thunder and her focus and determination to help her people when they need her most.

A story of Native growth, journey and tragedy.

I feel that this story can be made into any genre and still have the same values. It could be any girl trying to prove to herself and her peers that she is worthy of greatness. That she can break any barrier to reach her dream. And that sometimes it takes real divistation to show your worth. I think Randal Herus is a great storyteller. He puts his vision into great works. Narrator Aubriana Harshfield does a great job at portraying the youthfulness of Talk
Likes Thunder. She brings depth and foundation to the different charactors. Only a couple times did her tone feel cold and machine like.

I enjoyed this sweet glimpse into Indian history. I like how this story of a young Indian girl forged in tragedy with the death of her parents, is a story of survival. At a young age, Talks Like Thunder was taught, encouraged and nourished by her grandfather Gray Fox. He took her to a new village where she excels and learns the ropes as a female warrior. She overcomes many obstacles and along the way befriends another young warrior in training,Golden Eagle. As they grow older the conflict between tribal men and white men becomes violent. Many raids and captures affect the people of the Chiricahua village. Including Golden Eagle. Till the end when the village is hit by a massacre that takes out the whole village. Talks like Thunder is left to mourn and bury the dead. I felt the sadness and may have cried a little when I read about the special burial ceremony she gave her grandfather. 

I believe this is a great book for a young adult audience. It can get graphic but a humbling story. Highly recommended!

Top listen of the year!

This book is easily one of my top reads of this year. The writing alone is very compelling and leaves the reader rooting for Talks Like Thunder. We see the protagonist leave her family home and tribe to live in another tribe. We watch her grow and train to be a warrior. We see the hard path that the protagonist must face and the horrible hardships the indigenous had to endure. It shows the courage, and strong spirit of Thunder.
I listened to the audiobook, and I highly recommend the audiobook narrated by Aubriana Harshfield. Very talented voice. The tones and inflections used in a variety of scenes made the book very engaging.
I will definitely be picking up the second book.

Wow - great storytelling!

When the audiobook ended, I said “wow” out loud.
I’ll admit it took me several minutes to get into the story, follow along and enjoy the narration - but once it clicked, it clicked!
I’ve never read a book about native Americans and I appreciated listening to the specific details of this story.

You could say that this is a coming of age type of story riddled with tragedy.
This book introduces us to Dessert Flower turned Talks Like Thunder as she navigates an ever-changing life from village to village and finds her place training as a warrior.

I was excited to find out that this story is one of several of a series and I’m looking forward to the next one.